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Scandinavia’s SAS airline shares tumble amid reports of delisting

Shares in Scandinavia's troubled SAS airline, which has filed for bankruptcy in the US, fell around 30 percent on Wednesday after media reports that it could be delisted from the stock exchange.

Scandinavia's SAS airline shares tumble amid reports of delisting
File photo of a SAS plane. Photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash

Danish newspaper Berlingske cited multiple unnamed sources in a report late on Tuesday, saying plans for a delisting of the company were so far gone that it would be “very surprising” if it were still on a stock exchange by the autumn.

That would leave the airline under the ownership of US capital fund Apollo and the Danish state, with 70 and 30 percent stakes respectively, the newspaper said.

Apollo lent the company $700 million last year, in a deal which would also allow it to convert the company’s debt into shares.

SAS is primarily listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, and also appears on exchanges in Oslo and Copenhagen. If delisted, the Swedish state — which like the Danish state currently owns 21.8 percent of the company — would exit as an owner, having previously indicated that it did not wish to reinvest.

In the wake of the media report, shares on the Stockholm Stock Exchange dropped from 0.35 kronor to a low of 0.24 kronor.

Commenting on the article, SAS said it had “initiated a process to raise capital,” as part of its restructuring process.

“We do not want to speculate on the outcome of the capital raising process and it is currently not possible to know whether the investors who ultimately invest in SAS prefer a listed or unlisted company,” Anna Sandell, the head of media relations at SAS, told AFP in an email.

In February, the crisis-hit airline posted a net loss of 2.7 billion kronor ($260 million) from November to January, despite a boost in passenger numbers. SAS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the United States in July last year — a move allowing a company to restructure its debts under court supervision.

The airline has said it hopes to complete the process by the “second half of 2023,” and projected that it would see positive earnings before taxes by its 2024 fiscal year. According to its latest quarterly report, SAS employs about 7,500 people, mainly in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

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BUSINESS

Maersk profits plummet as Yemeni attacks close off Red Sea route

Danish shipping giant Maersk posted a huge drop in net profit for the first quarter on Thursday as Yemeni rebel attacks are forcing it to avoid the vital Red Sea route.

Maersk profits plummet as Yemeni attacks close off Red Sea route

Maersk reported a net profit of $177 million in the first three months of the year, a 13-fold drop from the same period last year. Turnover fell 13 percent to $12.4 billion, slightly lower than forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.

The company, however, raised its outlook for the full year, citing higher demand and increased rates and costs due to the supply chain disruptions in the Red Sea.

It now expects an underlying core profit ranging between $4 billion and $6 billion, up from $1 billion-$6 billion previously.

“We had a positive start to the year with a first quarter developing precisely as we expected,” Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said in a statement.

“Demand is trending towards the higher end of our market growth guidance and conditions in the Red Sea remain entrenched,” he said.

“This not only supported a recovery in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter, but also provide an improved outlook for the coming quarters, as we now expect these conditions to stay with us for most of the year.”

Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the country’s Red Sea coast, have launched dozens of attacks on ships since November, claiming solidarity with Palestinians caught up in the Israel-Hamas war.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from the attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

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